"The season is definitely insane, and that's not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I'm still skipping a couple of events in order to protect my body, because I struggled a lot last season, she said after beating Sorana Cirstea at the Brisbane International. Even though the results were really consistent, some of the tournaments I had been playing completely sick or I'd been really exhausted from overplaying."
"This season, we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by the end of the season. But it's tricky to do that. You cannot skip 1000 events. It's really tricky, and I think that's insane what they do. I think they just follow their interests, but they're not focusing on protecting all of us."
Aryna Sabalenka intends to skip events in 2026 to protect her body, accepting potential WTA sanctions rather than risk further injury. Top players are required to play four Grand Slams, ten WTA 1000 tournaments and six WTA 500 events under WTA rules, with penalties ranging from ranking-point deductions to fines. Sabalenka played only three WTA 500 events in 2025 (Brisbane, Stuttgart and Berlin) and faced point deductions, joining other top players affected. She described the season as "insane," blamed the packed calendar for injuries and exhaustion, and criticized authorities for prioritizing interests over player welfare.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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